The last day of Year 6 is always bittersweet; the joy and elation at “growing up” versus the fear of change and stepping out of a comfort zone. However, this year, more than ever, parents have an increased responsibility to prepare and support their children for transition.

As children and young people return to school after the Covid-19 closures, it will not just be a process of ‘picking up where we left off’. The lockdown will have been experienced differently by pupils. What is certain is that they will all have had to cope with a loss of some kind. It could be the loss of their familiar structure and routine that school provided, or the loss of being with their friends.

In our ever-changing world, we want our children and young people to be equipped with the understanding and belief that they have what it takes to deal with life’s different situations and challenges. Supporting children to identify when they have used particular character qualities and to recognise the impact these have on themselves and other is a strong way to help children build their confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing.

Schools have now been closed for a number of weeks and it’s hard to predict exactly when we will see their doors re-open to all pupils. In light of this, we’ve been talking to teachers about the transition back to school from June through to September and how they'll evaluate their pupils' knowledge and understanding.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, parents up and down the country are currently homeschooling their children for the first time. Here are some brilliant TV shows, podcasts and YouTube channels that can help to support your child’s independent learning at this time.

When the Key Stage 2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling papers were introduced in 2016, everybody was surprised by the subject knowledge expected from year 6 children. However, over the years, schools have developed detailed units of work to ensure that children have the knowledge and understanding of this key area.

It can be too easy to start thinking about all the things we can’t do or the people we can’t to see, but when you turn it around and think about the positive it has a really strong effect on how positive you feel and really helps us to feel happy.